Standoff ends following suicide

Police say standoff lasted nearly 20 hours

Ryan Brown

Staff Writer

rbrown@altoonamirror.com

A man killed himself Friday afternoon after a 20-hour standoff that drew heavily armed police teams to an Ashville-area home.

State police said local officers tried to serve court papers on a man at 263 Amsbry Road, Gallitzin Township, on Thursday. The man “threatened himself with a shotgun,” sparking an armed standoff that lasted well into Friday.

Police said they will not publicly identify the victim until family members can be notified.

A Cambria County 911 dispatch supervisor said the standoff began shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday. Responders called ambulance crews to the home about 3:45 p.m. Friday, the dispatcher said.

The standoff began with local police; authorities initially said the Gallitzin Township police were involved. As the siege continued, the Cambria County Special Emergency Response Team was called, eventually supplemented by a state police SERT team.

“We were called to assist midafternoon today,” state police public information officer Trooper Clifford Greenfield said Friday.

Photographs from the scene, taken by neighbors and posted online, appeared to show police marksmen in position around the Amsbry Road home. Police did not immediately indicate whether the victim had threatened officers or whether anyone else was in the home.

Cambria County Depart­ment of Emergency Services personnel posted repeated warnings to residents near the road, which intersects with Route 53 about 2 miles south of Ashville.

“Police are advising to avoid the area,” officials said early Friday in a series of online updates. Another read: “Residents on Amsbry Road are advised to remain inside your residences until further notice.”

Shortly after the victim killed himself Friday, Greenfield said the situation was considered over and no threat remained to public.